Thursday, December 6, 2018

December 6 Thought for the day...a long term investment strategy


I am so grateful for all of the people who faithfully give their tithes and offerings. I am especially grateful for those who are wealthy in this world (which compared to the rest of the world is most of us in America). Why? Because wealth is a temptation, you can handle it wisely or poorly. Paul challenges us to not think of only the short term pleasures but to always be thinking long-term with our investments.

"storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." 1 Timothy 6:19

Paul is encouraging Timothy to speak to those with means that with their means they think about long-term investment strategies. He is not saying to never enjoy the fruit of your work. We talked about that yesterday. We are to enjoy the way God blesses us, but we have to keep in mind the bigger picture. The fruit of our work expended on ourselves quickly fades away, but the investment in the Kingdom has eternal value.

"Storing up" refers to placing your investment into a safe place where it can never be stolen or destroyed. Most people want their investments to grow, so they look for the place where they will get the greatest return. They don't want to see their wealth diminish. Jesus commends the wise servants who invest well and condemns the one who has no forethought for the future (Matthew 25). We are encouraged throughout scripture to invest wisely to take care of our families; this is part of the meaning of the "good foundation."

Our call to store up is not so we would hoard, or spend frivolously but so we could invest wisely for the time to come. This phrase, "time to come" refers to eternity.

The Holy Spirit is speaking through Paul, saying, everything you invest in the Kingdom has eternal value. Build on a foundation of long-term investing in rebuilding families, reaching the lost, impacting the world with the Gospel, and it will be the best investment strategy you can make!

The money we spend on ourselves is good for temporary pleasure, but it is gone in eternity. However, when you invest in the Kingdom, when you give your tithes and offerings, you are blessing the Lord, and it has eternal, positive consequences. Enjoy the fruit of your labor, but understand it is gone as quickly as it came. Make sure you have a long-term investment strategy. Knowing that lives are being changed for eternity because of your finances.

Bear in mind, like some wise investment plans, you may not see the return right away. It takes time for some seed to come to harvest. Fruit trees take, on average, seven years. Just because you don't see it right away doesn't mean it is not germinating and has thousands of apples in that seed.

Think long term. The investment will have a more significant impact that way. Invest in your eternity and the eternity of others. Enjoy your harvest now, but do your best investment long-term!

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